Google Indonesia Managing Director Randy Jusuf finally commented on the developing issue regarding YouTube's plans to provide e-commerce services in Indonesia.

Randy said that his party was still carrying out studies first considering that regulations regarding trading in the online space had just been changed in Minister of Trade Regulation number 31 of 2023.

“Because the Ministry of Trade's (regulations) only came into existence at the end of October, they are quite new. So to be honest, we are still analyzing the regulations from the Ministry of Trade, details and so on. "So it's still in the analysis phase," said Rendy when met at the Google Indonesia Office, Jakarta, Tuesday.

When asked for certainty whether YouTube would release an online shopping feature in Indonesia, he emphasized that his party had no plans to add this feature.

"As I explained, currently there are no plans to add new features such as shopping on YouTube," he stressed.

The online shopping feature on YouTube is actually nothing new and already exists in as many as 80 countries, including neighboring countries, namely Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

This feature is more or less similar to the TikTok Shop mechanism before Minister of Trade regulation number 31 of 2023 was issued and ultimately resulted in the TikTok Shop service being discontinued in Indonesia for licensing reasons.

Previously, the Minister of Communication and Information (Menkominfo) Budi Arie Setiadi last week also commented on the news regarding plans for several social media platforms, including YouTube, to introduce e-commerce services in Indonesia.

He said that digital social media platforms may provide e-commerce services, but service developers must separate permits between e-commerce and social media services.

“We have to open up opportunities for all parties who want to do business in Indonesia. But regarding YouTube, Meta, and TikTok Shop of all kinds, the important thing is that the entities must be separated. "For social media, social media has its own permission, for e-commerce, e-commerce has its own permission," said Budi at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology Office, Central Jakarta, Thursday (2/11).